How Angus T. Jones Landed His Pivotal Role On Two And A Half Men
Most people know Angus T. Jones as the slow-but-lovable son of Jon Cryer's character on Two and a Half Men. As the eponymous "half man," Jones provided some variety to Cryer and Charlie Sheen's middle-aged characters. Jones was only 10 years old when the show first began and became one of its most developed characters as a result of his aging over the course of the series.
Jones would leave the sitcom in 2012, just a few years before Two and a Half Men finally ended. At the time, he cited his religious beliefs as a source of conflict between himself and the show's subject material. Much like Sheen, Jones' character was replaced by someone new for the remainder of the series. Jones wouldn't appear on the show again until its 2015 series finale. But while Jones' departure from Two and a Half Men was especially dramatic, his debut was anything but that.
How Jones got the gig
Believe it or not, there was very little competition for the role of Jake. In fact, there was none. Jones was the only child actor who creator Chuck Lorre ever considered, much to the chagrin of the studio executives. Usually, the creator and casting director would bring in and audition multiple potential actors for a role, but after seeing Jones in the 2002 film The Rookie, Lorre knew he was perfect.
"He was so not the child actor," Lorre said in an interview. "He was just having fun. I don't think he cared if he got the job. He was just having a good time."
During the initial auditions, Jones continued to show his genuine side when he gave natural reactions to his fellow co-stars' antics. When Sheen began goofing off with him, Jones reacted with authentic laughter. It was an aspect of the young actor's personality that Lorre thought was perfect for the character. They continued keeping things authentic as Jones aged up, never shying away from the fact that his character grew to a young man over the course of the show's story. Unfortunately, that would also be the reason that Jones left Two and a Half Men.